Many households utilize appliances to perform mundane or time consuming tasks, which allows individuals to focus on other daily tasks requiring more attention. Such appliances include washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, microwaves, etc. However, while these appliances are particularly helpful in performing tasks, once operation begins the individual often loses track of the operation cycle of the appliance and the appliance goes unused for lengthy periods of time with the clothes still inside. With respect to dryers, this can a particularly troublesome problem for clothes that require hanging, after drying, to avoid wrinkling. With respect to washing machines, wet clothes left in a washing machine over a prolonged period of time, particularly in tropical conditions, are susceptible to souring, mold, and mildew. This can also be a problem for the user of a washer or dryer, when he or she is relying upon knowing when the washer or dryer has completed its cycle, in order to almost immediately use the clothes contained within the appliance for an appointment or other occasion. In any case, while these appliances often include visual and/or audible indicators for indicating completion of an operation cycle, they are often remotely located or placed in areas that prevent them from being noticed, such as in a basement, a utility room with a tightly closed door, a garage, or some other such (out of the way) location.
Some prior methods and devices have responded by providing indicators for monitoring and alerting a user of the status of an appliance. However, these devices are typically complex in design, costly, require specially trained technician for installation, are impractical, or are just simply inoperable. For example, some systems require modification of the electrical system of the appliance to install monitoring and alert system. However, typically, alterations to appliances void any warrantee that the appliance may have. Also, these systems do not work on all appliances and often generate false completion signals as a result of short interruptions between operation cycle segments. Other systems have utilized plug-in devices, which monitors current to the appliance. However, again, during interruption between cycle segments the lack of current, or low current, creates a false completion signal. Alternatively, some individuals have attempted to track the operation cycle of an appliance through a timing device. However, many new appliances have variable operation time based upon operation necessities. For example, newer dryers periodically monitor moisture content within the dryer to determine completion of drying. As such, drying time continually changes not only between loads, but also during the drying cycle.
Other attempts have provided systems for monitoring appliance vibration and remotely indicating the completion of an appliance cycle. However, it has been discovered that these systems appear inoperable for lack of power, false completion readings, and simply lack enablement. For example, it appears that these devices lack sufficient electrical power for monitoring operation cycle and generating wireless signals, without somehow electrically connecting the device to an AC supply. Also, as often appliances are inadvertently banged, or knocked by other individuals or other appliances, these systems would appear to generate false operation signals. More so, they are not capable of working on new ‘quiet’ appliances, such as ‘quiet washers’ and ‘quiet dryers’, which operate with substantially lower vibration and noise. Finally, such systems do not appear to be in production and do not provide means for overcoming the aforementioned and other inherent problems.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved methods and devices for monitoring operational cycles of one or more appliances or machines, such as washers, dryers, or otherwise, and remotely indicating when such operating cycles have terminated.